NBA Standings 2017: Analyzing Late-Season Playoff Races from Each Conference
Wednesday's NBA action featured multiple teams clinging to their playoff hopes and one huge matchup between the top squads in the Eastern Conference. Did the outcomes further clarify or complicate the NBA postseason picture?
After losing four out of six games at the end of March, the Cleveland Cavaliers won three consecutive contests to start April. On their court, the Boston Celtics stumbled early and never recovered in a 114-91 loss to the defending champions.
The race for the final spot in the Western Conference boils down to the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets. The latter club eliminated the New Orleans Pelicans from playoff contention on Tuesday night.
How did the Nuggets fare against the Houston Rockets? Where do the Celtics and Cavaliers go from here? Who's in a position to lock down the contested spots at the bottom the playoff picture in the East?
| Seed | Team | Win | Loss | Games Back |
| 1 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 51 | 27 | - |
| 2 | Boston Celtics | 50 | 28 | 1 |
| 3 | Toronto Raptors | 48 | 31 | 3.5 |
| 4 | Washington Wizards | 47 | 31 | 4 |
| 5 | Milwaukee Bucks | 40 | 38 | 11 |
| 6 | Atlanta Hawks | 39 | 38 | 11.5 |
| 7 | Chicago Bulls | 38 | 40 | 13 |
| 8 | Miami Heat | 38 | 40 | 13 |
| 1 | Golden State Warriors | 65 | 14 | - |
| 2 | San Antonio Spurs | 60 | 18 | 4.5 |
| 3 | Houston Rockets | 53 | 25 | 11.5 |
| 4 | Utah Jazz | 48 | 30 | 16.5 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Clippers | 48 | 31 | 17 |
| 6 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 45 | 33 | 19.5 |
| 7 | Memphis Grizzlies | 42 | 37 | 23 |
| 8 | Portland Trail Blazers | 38 | 40 | 26.5 |
Cavaliers Pull Ahead of Celtics
Technically, the No. 1 spot in the East remains unclaimed for the playoffs, but the Cavaliers put together a statement performance against the Celtics on the road. Cleveland came out strong and ran through its opponents like a locomotive on Wednesday.
Point guard Kyrie Irving talked about the team buckling down before heading into the postseason:
Boston didn't belong on the same floor as Cleveland in their final outing. The Cavaliers take the season series 3-1 but play their last four games against teams currently holding playoff spots. The Celtics have two sub-.500 opponents left in their last four contests.
Despite guard Isaiah Thomas' team-leading 26 points, the Celtics didn't have enough size or firepower to handle the Cavaliers. Many feel the roster still needs another star player in order to take over the East, and team executive Danny Ainge's critics yelled a little louder after Wednesday's loss.
Miami Heat Remain in the Driver's Seat
The Miami Heat made 21-of-40 three-pointers in a 112-99 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. Forward James Johnson shot 6-of-7 from beyond the arc. The Hornets' loss drops them 2.5 games out of the No. 8 seed, which the Heat occupy at this juncture.
At 36-43, the Hornets don't control their own destiny and need a lot of help to climb back into the playoff picture.
The Heat find themselves in a three-team deadlock with the seventh-seeded Chicago Bulls and the Indiana Pacers below the postseason cutoff line. Miami will play its next two road games against the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards, followed by home contests with the Cavaliers and the Wizards again. It's no easy task, which keeps the Pacers alive in the race for the eighth spot.
On the other hand, Indiana just snapped a four-game losing streak with a 108-90 win over the Raptors. They have two sub.-500 teams left to play in the following week.
Nuggets Slip in Race for Eighth
Despite dropping the previous two games, the Trail Blazers remain in the eighth spot. The Nuggets fell short in a 110-104 loss to the Rockets on Wednesday. Denver ends its five-game road trip with a 2-3 record and a head-to-head loss to the Trail Blazers.
Looking forward, Denver draws a Pelicans team with nothing more to play for, the Oklahoma City Thunder at home and back-to-back road games against the Dallas Mavericks and Thunder again.
Head coach Mike Malone's crew needs help. Nonetheless, the Blazers won't leave Portland over the next week with four consecutive home games. The ball literally rests in their court.
Guard Damian Lillard acknowledged the team's ability to control its own destiny:
Portland owns the tiebreaker over Denver with a 3-1-season series advantage. The Memphis Grizzlies have lost their last three games and seven of the last 10, which keeps the door slightly cracked for the Blazers' chances at the No. 7 seed.
Stats provided by NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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